UKC

I am due to fly to tenerife in November and have just had an email changing my flight time from 7pm to 11am... which is a problmen because:

1) I don't finish work until 8:30am
2) We have already booked train tickets (advance tickets @£18, non-refundable)

I can get someone to cover me at work, so that part is solved (other than the fact that i won't have slept, but nevermind...).

With regards to trains, new train tickets are now £53, so I am going to £53 out of pocket thanks to Ryanair changes.

I haven't bought my BMC insurance yet so I can't claim on that.

Any idea if I can attempt to get Ryanair to pay for this? I've had a quick look at their website and they don't have a customer services phone number, only forms for specific situations which I don't meet.

Anyone with similar stories with any helpful advice? (telling me to book travel insurance when i book a holiday is not helpful advice!)

Thanks!

A rather grumpy nikki

In reply to nikki_smilez: they won't pay you for anything, but you're probably entitled to a refund:

http://tinyurl.com/6rtkpyu

In reply to nikki_smilez:I think if they class it as a major change you can accept it or have a refund, if they class it as a minor change you can either smile or not go, no refund!
I don't think you have any hope with the train fares I'm afraid.

In reply to nikki_smilez:

>"I am going to £53 out of pocket thanks to Ryanair changes."

I know it feels a bit rubbish but it could be worse... If you're in the habit of flying Ryanair (like myself) must must have got a few bargains over the years. You must know their reputation... It's always going to be a bit of a lottery.

In reply to nikki_smilez:
>

usually an excess on insurance claims isn't there?
No idea what you can get but it is likely to have to come from Ryanair. Personally I think 8 hours is a major change, it's a working day for one thing, but read your T&C, that'll give you more of an idea than us Internet randommers. good luck with it.

In reply to JLS:

At least they've given her more than a month's warning. I've heard a tale of of them bringing an INBOUND flight forward 3 hours, with less than 24 hours' notice, and just emailing the passengers (most of whom were on holiday in a foreign country and not really checking their emails) then rinsing them for an entire new "on the day" flight when they turn up at the airport expecting to get on their scheduled flight. That's my fave anti-Ryanair story actually (was a letter to the Sunday Times, the plaintiff was reimbursed her several hundred pounds after the paper contacted the airline. Ludicrous)

In reply to nikki_smilez: If you are entitled to a refund, they put an admin charge on to claim it... Don't fly with the shite, just pay and go BA

In reply to nikki_smilez:
I had a similar problem when booking a holiday to kalymnos earlier in the year. Apparently the change in flight times must be more than twelve hours to qualify for a refund which IMHO sucks!

In reply to msimpson73:

"Apparently the change in flight times must be more than twelve hours to qualify for a refund which IMHO sucks!"

Don't know if it's still the case, but once easyJet changed a flight time by 5 whole minutes, and the whole booking (with 8 flights on it) became changeable and refundable.

Neil

In reply to nikki_smilez:

I think there's a premium, premium, premium rate number you can call to be told "what do you expect, we're a budget airline" very slowly after listening to some queue music for 20 minutes.

Hope you sort it out and don't get left too much out of pocket, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

Cheers

Toby

In reply to nikki_smilez:
I believe if you read the small print they are actually allowed to harvest your organs should you fall asleep on the flight!

In reply to nikki_smilez:

We had exactly the same story last year going to Turkey, no luck getting them to re-imburse us anything, they cover themselves in their T&Cs.

In reply to nikki_smilez:

you can cancel your booking free of charge, or change the times for just any fare difference (ie. no change fee).

They won't pay you anything for any other travel incurred. You would be able to potentialyl claim on insurance if you had it, or if you booked using a credit card you may be able to claim through them.

Scarab - Travel Agent dude

In reply to nikki_smilez: At least you can be safe in the knowledge that should you accept the extra cost and fly with them, if they don't make their original landing slot, you will be flying on fumes at risk of crashing should anything else get in the way.

google "ryan air low fuel" if you want to read more about it

In reply to nikki_smilez: without knowing anything about the rules i would be amazed if the rule wasn't "if we change your flight-time by more than 8hrs you are due a refund"

In reply to Tobias at Home: The cynic in me wonders if the amount of time the flight is changed by is measured from the original time, or from the previous tim, ie. if they wanted to move by 12hrs, could they do it in 3 4hr moves to get round length of time restrictions?

In reply to msimpson73:

If you read the link by Andy you will see you are entitled to a refund if moved more than 3 hours from original.

In reply to nikki_smilez: I know this is not a very helpful comment now, but I've had a habit of leaving insurance to the last minute too.

Fortunately the year I had a big car crash I had actually bought insurance just after booking a holiday and they paid out fully.

Always worth getting insurance as soon as you book the holiday.

After my last ryanair flight I won't be flying with them again any time soon unless I really, really have to. KLM are often not much more expensive when you take into account baggage etc.

In reply to Moggsy:
I'd normally look at a comment like that and think "more money than sense" BUT over the years we've found a full service carrier to be cheaper or only a little bit more expensive on a noticeable number of flights.

I think that too many people look at the headline figure of say £1 rather than a full door to door comparison price which might not include things like payment/admin surcharges, hold/luggage surcharge, food, airport convenience (1 RyanAir airport was a 2 hours coach trip and £35rtn fare outside the city).

We've never flown RyanAir but always check all options BEFORE booking with EasyJet.

In reply to Fultonius:
I also nearly got caught out once back in the day it worried me so much that I now have an annual policy. Some might think thats overkill for only a holiday/flight or 2 a year but a basic online policy really isn't that expensive compared to one booked at the travel agents or a single trip policy bought online. I now know that I'm covered for all the expensive stuff and if needed I can top up for other things

It wouldn't be covered by insurance as you are fully aware of the possibility that Ryan Air may change their flight times at the time of booking. (It says in the T&Cs) The best hindsight advice would be 'you should have bought a flexible train ticket' but that's not helpful either.

On the plus side, the OP now has an extra 8 hours on holiday.

In reply to Indy:

I would actively choose easyJet (a) because Luton is my local airport and (b) because they are pretty good these days, certainly better than the long slog to LHR.

That said I flew BA on Friday, and it was just nice and civilised.

Neil

In reply to Eric the Red:

"The best hindsight advice would be 'you should have bought a flexible train ticket' but that's not helpful either."

Or, if the Advance one is way cheaper, book two - for the outward, one at the earliest possible time that day, and one at the time you want, and for the return the latest possible, plus one at the time you want.

But given how unpunctual flights are, I'd be looking for a cheaper walk-up mode of transport e.g. coach for the return rather than using Advances.

Neil

In reply to Moggsy: BA were worse than useless and totally unhelpful when I couldn't make my booked return flight due to adverse weather and cancelled connections. They refused to get me on a flight the same day because it was too much hassle for them even though there was plenty of time. They just said come back in the morning and that was it.

Olympic airlines held check in open for me and rushed me through and got me home the same day.

I would rather fly Ryan air than BA, I've never had a problem with them having flown more than 10 times with them for less than a coach would cost each time, and I know not to expect frills.

Thanks for everyone's replies (some more helpful than others...)

So ultimately I am not getting my money back... I am entitled to a refund, which is not helpful, because the only reason I am flying with ryanair is because it was the only evening flight which I could get, other carriers flew in the monring. I don't want a refund, I want a flipping evening flight!!!

Nevermind, at least I have managed to get someone to come in early to cover me at work, it could have been a lot worse!

In reply to nikki_smilez:
Without wanting to sound bitter and twisted .. In my experience Ryan Air are a devious, conniving,scurrilous outfit to be avoided at all costs.Unfortunately, regular travellers will be forced to encounter them at some point, and should be prepared to be abused and fleeced.
Good luck.
Rodgit

In reply to Neil Williams:

"That said I flew BA on Friday, and it was just nice and civilised."
And you get free booze on the flight.

After my last experience of flying Ryan air I'll be very keen to find an alternative next time I'm looking for flights.

Re. the OP, it'll be covered by their armour plated T&C section. you could get your money back but an alternative flight at a late stage is likely to cost more than £53.

In reply to nikki_smilez:

You might have rights under section 75 of the consumer credit act - to claim back the money from your card provider, and leave them to sort it out with Ryanair's bank.

In reply to nikki_smilez:

http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.h...


European law. May help.

In reply to Tim Davies: interesting link, but I'm pretty sure that just backs up what's been said - the OP can have a refund but no compensation for train tickets.

In reply to Moggsy:

Ho ho, you jest - I've lost count of the number of times BA have changed my flight times.

Hi Nikki,

I've called easyjet on 01582 443330 about bookings to avoid the premium rate number. But doubt anything will happen about train tickets

Ross